


Is This What the World Has Come To?

by Okatte



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-13
Updated: 2015-12-13
Packaged: 2018-05-06 10:11:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5412914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Okatte/pseuds/Okatte
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was all fine until the symptoms started to appear. At first it seemed just like a flu was going around, but people started to worry when everyone caught it. Not like “everyone you know” everyone, but “entire shopping complexes empty of customers and employees” everyone. Then other developments occurred. But of course, with every change, there are a few that claimed not to be affected. </p><p>    They started it. Them and their elitist obsession with DNA and genetics brought the whole world crashing down. </p><p>    But that hasn’t happened yet. Right now our characters are just starting to realize that something is wrong.<br/>They won’t worry for long.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Is This What the World Has Come To?

    Its was all fine until the symptoms started to appear. At first it seemed just like a flu was going around, but people started to worry when everyone caught it. Not like “everyone you know” everyone, but “entire shopping complexes empty of customers and employees” everyone. Then other developments occurred. But of course, with every change, there are a few that claimed not to be affected.

    They started it. Them and their elitist obsession with DNA and genetics brought the whole world crashing down.

    But that hasn’t happened yet. Right now our characters are just starting to realize that something is wrong.

    They won’t worry for long.

\------------

    Content had to be made. There was no two ways about it. Yet with entirety of Stage 5 coming down with a stupid flu, a few brave souls had to step up and film videos.

    Why did I choose to come to work again? Ray wondered as he sneezed into his sleeve. Pulling a disgusted face, he attempted to shake the snot of his Twitch hoodie. As far as he knew, it was Team Lads minus Gavin (the guy who always was gone) and Team Same Voice. Geoff was taking care of Millie (aka whining as Griffon took care of him and Millie) and the B Team all called in sick.

“This is going to suck,” Ray coughed as he pushed open the door to the AH office. Ryan was sprawled on the couch, hacking up something into a paper napkin. Michael was staring at an editing screen, more staring than editing. Across the room, Jack was voicing over a Fails of the Week and paused whenever he had to cough.

“You all look like hell,” Ray commented as he suppressed his nausea. Only Ryan acknowledged his presence.

“The same could be said for you,” Ryan said, smiling weakly as he struggled to get to his computer. The sounds of a Halo emanated from the console.

Ray peered at the To-Do board, whistling softly as he read the videos they needed to produce. Most were Minecraft and GTA, but with Gavin and Geoff gone those videos were impossible. Their prerecorded stash was running out though. It was getting so bad Michael was looking through the “unspeakable” bin.

Plopping down as his desk and wincing at the pain it shot up his spine, Ray booted up his Xbox. “Who else is at work besides us?”

This time Jack answered. He gave a half-hearted shrug. “Haven’t seen anyone else.” Loud coughs echoed around the silent room. “Then again we haven’t been out much.”

Well, great. With the game loaded and ready to play, Ray settled into his chair. This was going to be a long day.

\----------

    Not much time passed before he, Michael, Jack and Ryan had to make an apology video to the audience.

    “Sorry guys, but Achievement Hunter is on hold until we actually get some videos done.” Ryan recapped. “We’ll be up and running smoothly as soon as we get better and Plan G is back in action.”

    With the recording finished, Ryan leaned over to cough some more phlegm into a trash can. Ray winced at the raw sound of his throat and realized his probably wasn’t much better.

    Michael still sat on the couch, staring the thousand-yard stare. When snapping his fingers in front of his face did nothing, Ray sat down next to him.

    Putting his hand on Michael’s shoulder, Ray immediately flinched. “Dude, you’re burning up.” The man’s skin radiated heat, and Ray swore he could see heat shimmers above Michael’s head.

    “Come on, we’re going home.” Gently pushing Michael to a standing position and draping his arm over Ray’s shoulder, Ray called out to the remaining Hunters. “Jack, Ryan, Michael and I are going home,” he wheezed. When had he gotten so weak? “You guys should go home too.”

    Jack gave an acknowledging wave and Ryan made a motion towards his keys.

    Thanking the heavens one more time that he and Michael lived in the same apartment complex, Ray slowly put one foot in front of the other and took his friend home.

\--------

    It wasn’t until a couple days later when Ray noticed something was off. He would reach for a snack or aspirin when they suddenly wouldn’t be there. After puzzling it out for a bit, he would walk into the next room and see that they were sitting on the counter. Thinking that it was just the fever, he dismissed it. Only when he reached for his glass of water and grabbing it did Ray realize he had put it on the counter in the opposite room. He knew it.

    So with nothing else to do besides sit in the bed and feel miserable or half-heartedly play video games, Ray conducted some trials. Place something in one room, go the other side of the wall, attempt to see it, and if so, take it.

    It worked, but not most of the time. Sometimes he couldn’t see the object, other times he could, and rarely he could grab it.

    “Am I turning into a superhero?” Ray wondered as he lay in bed, head still aching and body still on fire. He chuckled as he thought of X-Ray. “Well, he has bigger problems than being sick.”

    Ray started coughing again, not because of sickness, but because he felt something in his throat. He coughed and coughed, unable to open his eyes. When he finally could, Ray now felt his heart in his throat. He couldn’t see anything. Was this his punishment now? Being able to see through walls but now subjected to not being able to see anything at all?

    Something brushed against his face. Shooting out of bed, Ray wheezed as he waved his hands in front of his face. He could see his hands?

    Then he felt the heat. Oh no. Fire. Smoke. That’s what it was. His congestion prevented him from smelling the smoke and his feverish skin couldn’t detect the heat until it was too great.

    Flailing out, Ray only had time to grab his wallet and hoodie before to smoke choked him out. Even with his glasses, he could barely see a thing through the smoke, yet he managed to perfectly guide his way out of the building.

    Now out in the clear air, Ray breathed in deep, feeling the cold air as it dragged along his sore throat. He could see. He could breathe. He was safe.

    It wasn’t until somebody screamed that he realized that he wasn’t the only one in the building. With everyone home sick, the entire complex was filled. Hundreds of people choking on smoke with tearing eyes scrambling to escape the searing pain of a pyre.

    Ray knew he couldn’t save anyone. He wasn’t stupid. For god’s sake he was on his hands and knees in the middle of an empty street feeling on the threshold of death. Another scream rent through the sound of the building collapsing.

    Lindsay and Michael. His heart preceded Ray in death. Ray felt his body shake with horror and terror at his friends burning. People he spent hours with every day sharing the fate of so many others.

    Suddenly Ray felt the fever leave. His lungs opened up, his throat no longer throbbed, and his head was calm once more. Ray didn’t think. Not a thought crossed his mind as he raced to the quickly collapsing building. He could see the two somewhere in the wreckage, Lindsay

huddling in a corner screaming for help and Michael thrashing like a demon.    

    Ray only saw them and their plight as he raced through solid objects and biting fire. He was only controlled by instinct. When an animal sees another one of its kind being hurt, it attacks and saves. Saves them.

    Grabbing Lindsay’s wrist and Michael’s arm, he pulled them up and out. Again physics made no sense as they broke out of the building as it promptly collapsed.

    Ray felt himself wheezing in air again, but this time because of exertion. It was a strange feeling. Not the exercise, but a feeling like he was playing a third-person game. He saw himself staggering back to where he had dropped Lindsay and Michael. Lindsay was fine, but Michael-

    Oh god, Michael. Fire consumed his body and slithered around him like a sentient force. Lindsay tried her best to get near him, but was repulsed by the sheer force of heat.

    “Anyone, help!” she screamed. “Water!” Ray saw himself try to get near Michael, phasing in and out of solidity, but eventually normalizing and backing away before he was burned.

    Then the (even more) impossible happened.

    Lindsay was crouched on the pavement, weeping, when a dog approached her holding a water bucket. Then another dog. Then another cat and hawk and dog. All bringing some form of water.

    Suddenly Ray felt himself slam into his body and grab the nearest bucket. Dousing bucket after bucket of water on his burning friend, Ray breathed a sigh of relief as the fire shrank and shrank, giving one last spit of anger and dying completely.

    Lindsay immediately was at Michael’s side, whispering sounds too fast to be words.

    Ray looked back at the assortment animals, all dutifully sitting and staring at the group. Ray just kept watching them until Lindsay stopped crying tears of joy. She stood up shakily and turned to the group of animals.

    “Thank you,” she whispered.

    The first dog to arrive woofed a reply and trotted off. The rest of the animals disappeared as well.

    Ray sat down next to Michael. Michael was still unconscious, but breathing normally. Checking his forehead, Ray discovered he had no longer had a fever. An idea formed in Ray’s head.

    “Hey Lindsay, do you feel still feel sick?”

    She slowly turned back to face him. “What kind of question is that? My husband almost died.”

    Ray smiled what must have been an alarming smile given the circumstances. “Humor me.”

    Lindsay opened her mouth to say something, but instead sighed and felt her forehead. Taking a step back in shock, she frowned. “No, I don’t.”

    Giving a crazed half-laugh, Ray crumbled to the ground and ran a hand through his hair. “This is ridiculous,” he decided. Looking up at an unnerved Lindsay and stirring Michael, he laugh again. “There’s no way it's what I’m thinking it is.”

    He wasn’t prepared for Lindsay stomping over to him and pulling him up by the collar of his shirt.

    Inches from his face, Lindsay seethed with the power of a thousand suns. “What is going on Ray?”She gestured around them, from the smoking remains of the building to her and Ray. “What are you thinking?”

    Ray disentangle her from his grip. “I think we have powers now.”

    Lindsay merely stared at him.

    “Let me explain,” he said hurriedly. Pointing to himself, he laid out his train of thought. “I was really sick, just like you. Then I started seeing things on the other sides of walls and sometimes even touching them. The building caught on fire and I was still sick, but I ran through solid walls to get you.” Ray gave the patented smile and thumbs up. “And after using my powers completely, I’m not sick anymore!” He gestured to Lindsay. “You were equally sick, but when you started screaming for water for Michael and the animals brought it, you weren’t sick anymore.” An sliver of a thought crossed his mind. He squinted at Lindsay. “Lindsay, is there anything you’d like to tell me about how the fire started?”

    When Lindsay failed to respond quickly enough, it was all clear. Ray rubbed his forehead, wishing this really wasn’t happening. That he suddenly wasn’t X-Ray plus intangibility, Lindsay could summon animals to do her bidding, and above all, that Michael could control fire. This had to be a fever-induced hallucination at this point. There was no way he was turning into a freaking superhero.

    A chirp broke the tension. Both Ray and Lindsay jumped as Lindsay’s phone started ringing. They just listened to the ringtone until it occurred to Lindsay to answer it.

    “Hello?” Lindsay’s voice wavered, a sign of her stress. Pulling the phone from her ear, she hit the speakerphone option.

    “Lindsay?” The voice that crackled out of the smoke filled speakers was undebatably Griffon’s.

    “Hey Griffon, what’s wrong?” Lindsay answered, cradling the phone like it was the last tether to the normal world.

    A crash sounded from the phone. Ray heard Griffon curse as more smashes and destruction could be heard. “It’s Geoff.”

    Ray and Lindsay said nothing, praying Griffon would continue.

    With another curse, Griffon continued. “He passed out, but there’s all these lines around him and they’re throwing stuff everywhere.” Another bang. “What’s even more weird is that I saw Geoff before I had to lock him in our room. His arms were completely blank.”

    The now-familiar sinking feeling appeared in Ray’s chest. He glanced up at Lindsay. She seemed to be approaching the same conclusion as he did.

    “If I had to say, I think his tattoos are alive.”

**Author's Note:**

> So this is based off of a nightmare I had last night. I hope to continue it consistently and finish my first multi-chaptered fic. Please leave comments if you like it and if I should upload more! Thank you and see you in the next chapter!


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